Monday night was clear, getting close to full Moon though, but you can't have everything! So I set the scope up in the back yard. I bought a Lymax "CAT cooler" to help bring the scope to temperature quicker. A few people here use them and think they are great. I was originally going to make something in the garage which would have been very similar, but when I found they exist I thought it was easier to just buy one. Not cheap, but I didn't really have time to spend machining one over a weekend.
Just google "Lymax" and you should come up with something. Also have a look at CN where they have a review.
Because I get up in the mornings around 5:45 to get ready for work, I can't spend hours at night waiting for the scope to cool so I needed a way of getting to temperature quickly. I placed the fan into the back of the C11 around 6:30 and went outside just after 7 to have a look. Prior to this, I would have expected the views to be mediocre at best with such a short cooling period. I was surprised at the improvement, another half an hour on the cooler would probably have brought it very close to ambient but I was too keen to just "get out there". The views were fantastic! Even though there were obviously still some thermals, I was much happier than my early experiences with the scope.
I guess it is up to you to decide if you are comfortable with blowing air into the tube and the "risks" of introducing dust etc. I consider the benefits of getting it to temperature in a short period worthwhile.
So now I am a pretty "cool CAT"
